Gold futures climb nearly $2 in late morning trading

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- August gold rose $1.70 to $668 an ounce late Tuesday morning after trading as low as $664 earlier in the session. The contract was set to mark its first gain in three sessions as concerns about high energy prices helped boost demand for gold as an investment hedge. September silver climbed 3.5 cents to $13.10 an ounce, but September copper fell by 1.45 cents to $3.5475 a pound.

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